What Makes Our Program Distinct?
The Family Nurse Practitioner specialty of the DNP is unique in two respects:
- Faculty members are committed educators as well as practitioners and each continues to practice professionally to remain grounded in clinical practice.
- Clinical practicum experiences will be arranged to meet the individual needs of students while also meeting accreditation and certification requirements.
Family nurse practitioner students learn to:
- obtain comprehensive health histories
- conduct physical examinations
- diagnose and treat common acute and chronic problems
- interpret laboratory results and diagnostic procedures
- prescribe and manage medications and other therapies
- provide supportive counseling and patient and family education and work collaboratively with other health professionals to optimally manage patient care within a family context.
Our graduates are prepared to:
- Critically analyze data and evidence to improve advanced practice nursing practice
- Provide leadership to foster collaboration with multiple stakeholders to improve health care
- Recognize and demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence of policy and practice
- Provide the full spectrum of health services to include health promotion, disease prevention, health protection, anticipatory guidance, counseling, disease management, palliative and end-of-life care to patients and their families across the lifespan
- Provide patient-centered care recognizing cultural diversity and the patient or designee as a full partner in decision-making
- Integrate appropriate technology into practice to promote safe, high quality and cost-effective care
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Length and Commitment
- 3-year, Full-time Program
- On Campus - 4-day session (Tuesday–Friday) each semester that includes: core courses, enhancement programming, specialty courses, advisor meetings; beginning second year of program: 1–2 days every other week for coursework throughout the semester.
- Clinical Sites - Complete approximately 1,000 hours at clinical sites arranged by the school
Certifications
Successful completion of required DNP FNP coursework and practice hours provides eligibility to sit for the FNP Certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.